1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sterilizing apparatus for personal articles, such as toothbrushes, and more particularly to cabinets for storing and sterilizing plural personal articles. The novel enclosure has apparatus for enclosing and sterilizing articles by exposure to ultraviolet light, and apparatus for recharging diverse battery operated personal appliances, such as electric toothbrushes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Personal articles, such as toothbrushes, hair brushes, razors, and the like are susceptible to being exposed to bacteria, viruses, spores, and other microbes. This holds true even if stored in a container or cabinet. It is therefore possible for an individual using these articles to become exposed to infection.
One answer to this problem is to provide storage containers and cabinets with sterilizing apparatus, such as lamps capable of emitting ultraviolet light (UV) or other electromagnetic radiation harmful to microbes. This approach is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,877, issued to Min K. Choi on Jan. 30, 1996. The patent to Choi describes a general purpose sterilizer for storing and sterilizing diverse personal toilet articles. However, Choi's device is configured to contain only one type of certain appliances, whereas the present invention contemplates accommodation for diverse varieties of a single type of appliance. This is particularly true for recharging equipment, which in the present invention offers both direct contact of electrodes and also inductive charging. Choi, by contrast, offers but a single type of charger in his invention. Also, Choi stores many devices out of range of UV radiation, some exposed to the exterior of the device, whereas all devices stored in the present invention are contained within the enclosure and are exposed to UV radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,322, issued to Kenneth Warkentin on Oct. 17, 1995, describes a cabinet partially lined with UV emitting lamps. Switches are provided to selectively vary intensity of and to de-energize some lamps. The device of Warkentin lacks the recharging features found in the present invention, and thus would be unsuited to recharge as well as sterilize electric toothbrushes. Also, the device of Warkentin lacks the various holders provided in the present invention for holding diverse personal articles during storage and sterilization.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,795, issued to Masatoshi Sakurai et al. on Sep. 20, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,475, issued to Robert E. Duthie, Jr. on Nov. 18, 1997, describe sterilizers which emit UV radiation and hold dental equipment in respective sterilizing chambers. The devices of Sakurai et al. and Duthie, Jr. lack recharging features and diverse specially configured holders or receptacles for holding diverse personal articles.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.